A Sorceror in Training
by PercyJackson67
Summary: Basically a "Meanwhile..." story equivalent to A Pirate's Life for Me. Set in Wizard City, instead of Skull Island.
1. Chapter 1

A Sorceror in Training

By PercyJackson67

My name is Oran Dreamweaver, of the Dreamweaver Clan. I have the usual appearance that comes from being a member of the Dreamweaver Clan: red hair, white eyes, pale skin. I also have a gift for advanced magic. While I can't cast any actual spells yet, I am, like most wizards, able to work small magics, such as moving small objects with my mind.

Most of my family have been Theurgists or Conjurors. I, however, have decided upon a different school entirely. Of course, I won't necessarily _choose_ my school, because that's not how Ravenwood works, unlike other academies for magic. However, I am actually hoping to be put in a school other than Myth or Life.

"Oh! Hello there." An old wizard behind a crystal ball said as he glanced towards me through his monocle. To his left was a gray owl perched on a... perch.

"Hoo!" The owl said, or perhaps he said "Who?"

"Yes, I agree with you, Gamma. If we are to register you for school, we must know a bit more about you."

"Right. Well, my name is-"

"Oran Dreamweaver, of the Dreamweaver Clan. A very prominent clan, of course. But I was asking about something more... personal. Your application has your basic information: your allergies, medical information, status within your clan, social security number, credit card, blood type, IQ, left shoe size, right shoe size, robe size, legging size, hat size, the names of each of your immediate family members, the names of your extended family members, the names of your distant family members, the names of every pet every member of your family has ever owned, gender, name, ring size, the exact percentage of troll blood in your veins..." The old wizard went on and on, the piece of parchment growing longer and longer until he finally came to three blank spaces on the parchment.

"Okay, so basically, "basic information" means everything execpt my favorite color, my favorite magical creature, and my favorite food?"

"Yes. So if you'd answer those three questions, we'll get you sorted and your Ravenwood career will begin!"

"Okay: green (specifically emerald green), dragon, and lasagna."

"Very well then! It appears that you are best suited for the School of Balance."

I practically squealed on the inside with excitemen, because Balance magic was what I wanted to study. Of course, I wouldn't squeal, because I'm too masculine for that.

"Okay. Thank you, Mr...?"

"Oh! Excuse my manners! I am Merle Ambrose, Headmaster of Ravenwood, and this is my familiar, Gamma the owl."

"It is very nice tooooo meet yooooou." Gamma said cheerily. Suddenly, thunder shook the tower behind the Headmaster. (Did I mention we were outside?) We looked to the tower and saw a shadow cross the window.

"Malistaire!" the Headmaster muttered under his breath.

_Malistaire? As in... Malistaire Drake? The ex-Necromancy teacher? The rogue wizard? What in the name of Bartleby is he doing here?!_

"Come along, young wizard. Your education will begin sooner than we thought." Merle Ambrose started for the tower, then entered before I followed. As soon as I entered, I noticed my clothes had changed. Whereas before, I had been wearing my best green vest and white shirt with gold details, blue breeches, and my best suede shoes, I was now wearing a basic white robe, pointy hat, and boots with red trimmings, the standard uniform for Balance students.

I looked around and gazed upon the Necromancer himself, Malistaire Drake. He had summoned a couple minions, so he didn't have to get his own hands dirty.

"Okay, young wizard. Step inside the dueling circle and we can begin the duel." Merle said. I did as instructed.

"Now, I assume you know the basics of dueling, correct?"

"No, never much paid attention to my parents' duels."

"Oh. You are in very bad shape, indeed. Very well, it looks like I'll have to give you the crash course."

"I'm listening."

"Okay, so, Wizards use a type of magical energy called Mana to cast spells in battle. As long as you have enough mana, you can cast almost any spell. However, each spell has a certain mana drain, meaning you lose enough mana to maintain the spell whenever you cast it. Also, you must have enough Pips to cast it, but more on that later. For now, use this Scarab spell to attack one of the minions." Ambrose tossed me a card, and I looked at it. It was a white card with the Balance school insignia on the back, and the image of a brown scarab beetle on the front. At the top of the card was the word "Scarab".

I tossed the card into the air, and waved my hands through the air. My mana surged forward, causing the card to explode, the sign for Balance glowing white in midair, a very large beetle erupting from the sparks. The beetle scurried forwards and rammed one of the minions with its horns.

_That had to hurt._

The first minion threw a card into the air and thrusted his claw at it, the symbol for death appearing in black sparks. A dark pixie flew out of the sparks and wove her way around me, blasting me with black energy. The energy stung a bit, and I looked down to see a small black hole in my left shoulder in the shape of a skull.

As the pixie faded, the second minion tossed a card into the air, the symbol for fire appearing in orange energy. A firecat dropped out of the sky, then breathed a wall of fire at me.

"Oh my. You're hurt." Ambrose thought for a second. "I've got it!" He tossed another card to me, this time a green one. "Use this Unicorn spell to heal your injuries."

I looked at the green card, the green leaf on the back, and a white horse with a single horn in the middle of its forehead on the front. I tossed the card into the air, my energy causing the symbol for Life in green energy to appear. The center of the circle turned into a meadow, and the unicorn appeared. She trotted forwards a few steps then bowed to me. I instantly felt a surge of power wash over me as my wounds healed completely, and I regained a small bit of energy.

The first minion tossed a white card into the air, the symbol for balance appearing in white, tossing a large scorpion out onto the battlefield. The scorpion crawled forward and stung me, an inch long point jabbing into my shoulder. I almost crumpled to the ground in pain, even after the arachnid disappeared. The second minion cast a Weakness spell on me, and a white circle started floating around me.

"Oh my. That Weakness spell will make your next spell weaker. To counter it, use this Balance Blade spell."

Ambrose tossed me another white card, but I didn't bother wasting time to look at it. I tossed it into the air, and another circle started hovering around me.

The first minion used a green card, and a centaur appeared in the circle. He drew back his bow, nocking an arrow, then fired at me. The arrow went almost right through my heart, missing it by mere inches. I stumbled back, almost falling out of the circle.

The second minion passed, obviously building up for a major attack.

"Hmm. It doesn't look like you'll hold out much longer. Better finish it now, while we can." Ambrose tossed me a red card, and without looking at it, I knew it was powerful, for it radiated power.

I cast my spell, and the room glowed red. Out of nowhere, a large flaming rock fell on top of the first minion, destroying it, followed by the second.

"Blast it! This isn't over, Ambrose. You and your new pet have not heard the last of Malistaire Drake!" The Necromancer said as he disappeared.

"That was too close, young wizard." Ambrose said as he tossed a green card into the air. A fairy appeared and healed my wounds completely.

The Headmaster motioned for me to follow him into the main office.

"There. It's all in order. Congradulations, Oran Dreamweaver, Sorceror in training. You have been accepted into Ravenwood Academy for the Gifted Students, or RAGS." The Registrar joked, and Ambrose rolled his eyes.

"Well, unfortunately, there is no time to dawdle. Your orientation will have to wait. There's a situation on Unicorn Lane that could use your skills to resolve. Take this letter to Private Stillson in the Commons, and he'll let you though the gate to Unicorn Way. You'll also be needin your new wand, spellbook, and spell deck." Ambrose handed me a small deck of cards with a ribbon wrapped around, holding them together. It had three spells inside, all of them identical. They were all white Balance cards with a brown scarab beetle depicted on the front. As soon as I took my wand, which was a yellow-green stick with a yellow-and-green jester hat on top, six more cards appeared in the deck. These ones were blue, with the words "Minor Flash" at the top. On each card was a note:

_Minor Flash is a basic Balance spell that requires no mana _

_drain from the caster. Instead, the Wand of Equivalence_

_distorts the fabric of time and space to cast the Minor Flash. _

_This spell is very useful for a wizard who wishes to save Pips _

_to power stronger spells with a higher mana cost._

"As you become stronger, you may seek out your teacher and ask to take a test in order to learn more powerful spells, which you may then add to your deck. Right now, you only have a basic deck, so you will only be able to put a small number of spells inside, but eventually, you will be able to use larger decks, with room for many, many more spells. For now, use the tools you have been given to help purge Unicorn Way of the undead that plague it."

"Wait, undead? Nobody told me anything about having to battle the undead on my first day of school!"

"Please be careful. Goodbye now!" Ambrose pushed me out the door, not giving me the chance to say no.

"Well, might as well see what I can do. Who knows, maybe I'll just have to help a ghost or two pass on." I said to myself as I walked towards Private Stillson. I handed him the letter and he let me through the gates.

**So, let me know what you think. Also, this story is kind of like a "Meanwhile..." story to my Pirate 101 story, so you better believe I'll be throwing a pirate in here. Anyways, I'll need someone to tell me what happens after the events in Triton Avenue. I'm not a member of Pirate 101 or Wizard 101, and I don't buy locations via crowns, so I would appreciate someone telling me what happens after the areas become premium.**


	2. Chapter 2

A Sorceror in Training

By PercyJackson67

As soon as I got to Unicorn Way, I knew that my previous thoughts about "merely having to help a ghost or two cross over", was dead wrong. Pun intended. Private Stillson had told me to talk to a man called Private Connelly for more information about what to do, and I now knew that what I had to do was a whole lot of fighting. There were ghosts literally everywhere. I ran up to Private Connelly and hesitantly asked him what I could do.

"You're just a kid! Get out of here!"

"I'm not just a kid. I'm a wizard."

"Oh, well that changes everything!"

"Really?"

"NO! I could see that you're a wizard just by looking at you. But you're wearing basic gear, and you've only got three spell cards, and six wand attack cards in your deck. That means you're still just a novice wizard, probably just started at Ravenwood, right?"

"Y-y-yes, yes sir."

"You forget, we're the guards of Wizard City. We know more about Wizards than most give us credit. We know what to look for."

"But Headmaster Ambrose told me to see what I can do to help."

"Oh? Did he really. I guess that makes you special, then." He thought for a minute or two, then replied, "Alright, tell you what. Go off and defeat three Lost Souls, that's what the ghosts are called, then come back. If you survive, and you accomplish the task without too much trouble, we'll see what you can do."

"Okay. But wouldn't it be better to help them cross over?"

"Kid, these are Lost Souls. They're not like other ghosts. These are spirits that are trapped here, not by unfinished business, but because they either don't want to cross over, or because they have too many regrets or guilt, and are unable to. The only way to get rid of them is to beat them. The ones that are trapped here by guilt will see it as punishment for their crimes, and will pass on, and the ones that just don't want to cross over will go to sleep for a while, but will rise again eventually.

"Either way, you can't talk to Lost Souls and help them out that way. Lost Souls are incredibly violent, and won't hesitate to attack. Hard to talk some sense into them when you're fighting for your life."

"I suppose you're right. Well, how do I defeat them?"

"The same way wizards beat everyone, by dueling."

I nodded to Private Stillson, then ran off to find a Lost Soul. It didn't take long. Immediately, a Lost Soul attacked, and I trapped it within a dueling circle. I stepped inside the sun circle, and it hovered over to a circle with a jagged knife in front of it. As soon as the circle was complete, six cards floated out of my deck and hovered in front of me. There were two Scarab spells and four Minor Flash cards.

I plucked a Scarab out of the lineup and tossed it in the air. I waved my wand and the card exploded in a wall of sparks that shaped the symbol for balance in red energy. The ground turned to sand, and a brown scarab beetle crawled out of the ground. It ran over and rammed the Lost Soul with its spikes, then disappeared. The ghost froze for a moment, then disappeared, fading gradually from my sight. Immediately, two more Lost Souls attacked.

They floated over to the key and gem places on the oppostie side of the circle, preparing for a fight. I looked around for help, not sure if I could take two more Lost Souls. Then I remembered how easy it was to defeat the first one, and I started hoping that no one came to help. My cards floated out again, another sixth card appearing from my deck to replace the one I had used. It was another Minor Flash card. I picked out the second Scarab spell and cast it.

Again, the beetle crawled out of the magical sand and rammed one of the ghosts, this time, the one in the key circle. That ghost faded just as the last had, but this time, there was a second ghost. It moaned and waved its bedsheet-covered arms around. Amazingly, the symbol for storm appeared. Fortunately for me, the spell failed and the ghost was surrounded by a wall of black smoke, the by-product of its fizzled spell.

My cards once more floated in front of me, but ths time, it was nothing but Minor Flashes, my last card, obviously my last Scarab, still in my deck.

I jabbed my wand at one of the Minor Flashes, the rest of them stacking themselves neatly next to me, waiting to be used. The blue card disappeared, two small red comets swilring around the third ghost, then striking at once. The ghost, while injured, was still able to battle, so he waved his arms again, the symbol for lightning appearing yet again. This time, he didn't fizzle. A whirlwind hit the ground, a mini tornado calling forth a humongous blue snake. The wind dissipated and the snake struck out, its fangs sinking into my left arm, its electric venom stunning me. The snake disappeared, and my cards hovered before me one last time.

I decided not to waste any more mana, so I did one more Minor Flash, and the last ghost went down. The circle disappeared, and my used cards appeared in its place. All of my cards floated back into my deck, and I saw a gold spell card of some sort lying on the ground near where the center of the circle had been only moments before. I picked it up and looked through my spell book for information on the gold spell card, but there was none. I looked through the book once more, to confirm what I hadn't seen, but this time, I saw that the inside of the cover had slots for extra spell cards that wouldn't fit in my deck. I slid the golden card, the words "Ghost Touch" written above an image of a Lost Soul, in one of those slots, then closed the book and put it back in my bag.

I returned to Private Connelly and told him what I'd accomplished.

"Well, you look roughed up a bit, but I suppose not too much." He said as he handed me a small vial. "Use that on your wound, it'll help take the edge off, maybe close that wound a bit. Of course, that was a pretty strong hit, so it might scar. Then again, I suppose by now, you've already been injured by magic, eh?"

"Yes, a Draconian got me with a Dark Pixie."

"I see. Well, in any case, go talk to Ceren Nightchant to see what you can do to help. He's actually the one in charge around here, being the only one on all of Unicorn Way to have contact with Lady Oriel."

"Alright, thanks."

I did as instructed, and sought out Ceren Nightchant. He


End file.
